No One Left Behind
by Statiic97
Summary: How Virmire should have happened. rated M for blood.


Okay so here is how I have always seen Virmire going if like you had enough paragon/renegade points.

Enjoy

Disclaimer: I never have owned Mass Effect, Bioware or anything to do with Mass Effect.

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_Have to get to Kaidan. Have to save Kadian before.._

Shepard shook his head

_Can't think about that just get there grab Kaidan and what remained of Kirrahe's team and get back to the bomb...back to Ashley._

"Shepard." Ashley's voice rang out on his comm.

"Ashley what is it?" Shepard asked hurriedly

"There are a shitload of geth swarming my position I can't hold out much longer," She paused as if she had a sudden thought.

Shepard had a feeling in his gut just like on Akuze...right before his team was killed by thresher maws and at Midior right before a slaver shot his father in the head.

"I'm activating the bomb."

"Wait, Ashley hold on!" Kaidan's voice joined in on the comm channel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Willams!?" Shepherd shouted at her

_Not again! I'm not losing another soilder._ _Another friend..._

"Making sure this bomb goes off one way or the other. get LT and get out of here."

"No way Commander go back for Ashley we can hold out a little longer." Kaidan said even as the shouts and screams of dying salarians could be heard.

"Damn it LT don't play the hero here you're more valuable to the Commander alive!"

"Don't talk about playing hero Blasto!"

"ENOUGH!" Shepard yelled in his earpeice loud enough that Ashley and Kaidan actually flinched as if Shepherd had punched them in the face.

"Joker?"

"Yes sir?" Joker sounded a little uneasy after the Commander's outburst but to hell with that right now.

"Can you pick up Kaidan and meet us back at the bomb site?"

"Negative that ship will lock on us before we even get close to the bomb site."

Shepherd put his hands on his head and groaned.

_Kaidan or Ashley? No I can't choose between them, right Wyatt then we all die just like mom and dad..._

Shepherd suddenly had a thought

_Shuttles_

"Joker could a shuttle get to the bomb site and back without getting targeted?"

"Sure I guess."

Shepherd smiled

"Get to the bomb site-"

"Commander no leave me-"

"Can it Ashley!"

"Go to the bomb site-as close as you can- and send Wrex and Tali via Shuttle to help Ashley defend the nuke til we get back."

"Yes sir." Joker said all business no attitude Joker could toe the line sometimes but he knew when to save it and get serious.

"Kaidan, get ready to high tail it to the bomb site as soon as we get there and tell the rest of your team to do the same."

"Aye aye Commander"

Shepherd ran faster then he thought was possible to the elevator with Garrus and Liara close at his heels. The elevator doors opened and Liara practically destroyed the button jabbing it so many times.

The elevator get to the floor where Kaidan was fighting from behind cover sending biotics everywhere Kirrahe was next to him throwing grenades and firing every time there was a break in enemy fire.

"Kaidan! Major!" Garrus yelled over the gunfire.

They both looked at the group and Kaidan motioned for Kirrahe to go first

"I'll cover you go! Go! Go!"

Kirrahe sprinted to the elevator taking a few hits to his shields but made it with only a few bruises and nodded to Shepherd who nodded back.

"Good to see you alive Major."

"Same to you Commander"

Kaidan slid to the edge of the debris that he was using for cover and hesitated.

Shepherd saw the **Dilemma** instantly Kaidan's barrior was gone and he didn't have a gun he was going to have to time his run to the elevator carefully otherwise he was going to be shot and killed before he even got three feet.

"Kaidan Come on!"

Kaidan nodded and ran as fast as he could toward Shepherd and just as he was about to clear the open space a geth trooper shot him in the leg with it's pistol and Kaidan dropped like a brick in heavy gravity.

"NO!" Shepherd yelled as he ran forward focused on Kaidan and shooting that geth bastard down. He sent a Warp at the one that shot Kaidan and Threw the prime that was aiming at Shepherd both died on impact but it was still satisfying to see them blow up all the same. Shepherd knelt down and threw Kaidan's arm over Shepherd's shoulder and began dragging/carrying him toward the elevator as soon as Shepherd entered the elevator Kirrahe slammed his palm on the descend button and they slowly made their down.

While Liara checked in with the Bomb site and Kirrahe and Garrus were talking the best way to get to the ship Shepherd knelt next to Kaidan who was holding back tears of pain while trying not to move his leg to much Shepherd noticed right away.

"Kaidan stay with me we are going to get you out of here you hear me?"

"Sir just leave me here I can hold them off til you get away from Tessia." Kaidan said slowly beginning to nod off from the pain...and probably blood loss.

Shepherd grimaced he didn't know much about medical stuff that was more Liara and the Doc's department but he did know that confusing things to such a degree..Well it was bad.

"No one is being left behind Kaidan nobody." Shepherd said softly silently wishing for the elevator to mave faster.

Kaidan moaned in response.

"Shepherd?" Tali's voice rang out like a bell,so young, so full of life Shepherd swore she was only 16.

"Talk to me Tali."

"We are holding them off but it would really be appreciated if you could hurry up. 4 for me Wrex."

"What?" Shepherd asked confused

"Kid is just getting in over her head is all." Wrex's gravelly voice said over the comm "7."

"What?" Liara asked completely confused.

Ashley's voice rang out like an angel from above "The two immature teenagers are having a competition to see who is the better fighter...so immature."

Wrex laughed and said "Loser buys winner a new piece of gear of the winner's choosing."

Garrus smirked "There is a sniper I've been looking at for a while."

Liara spoke with her usual curious and light tone "I _have _been meaning to get a new suit of armor."

Ashley scoffed "Immature," She also added in a mischeifous tone "and crazy if you think I'm going to lose to a bunch of aliens."

Wrex laughed "I'm going to make you eat those words soft meat."

"Right after you buy me a new assault rifle merc."

Kirrahe turned toward Shepherd "Are your squad-mates always like this Commander?"

Shepherd shrugged "Only when the odds are against us."

Kirrahe nodded confused and assumed a firing stance at the left side of the elevator door.

As soon as the doors opened Garrus, Liara, and Kirrahe ran out guns blazing while Shepherd continued to carry Kaidan toward the site.

"Joker bring in the Normandy it's a party down here."

"Roger Commander."

_It's a party down here _was a code Joker set up it meant "get here quick and expect a quick get away."

"Everyone to the end of the platform now!" Shepherd shouted causing Kaidan to flinch a little which was strange to Shepherd.

_Probably just a migraine or the loss of blood._

Everyone sprinted to the end just as the Normandy was closing in hatch wide open

"Jump for it!" Garrus shouted as he and Liara reached the end they both jumped at the same time and landed off balance but safe on the was next she jumped at the last minute and underestimated the jump but Garrus grabbed her hand in time and pulled her up Wrex cleared the jump like it was something he did every day as did Kirrahe and Ashley.

When Shepherd got to the end he stopped he hadn't considered how he was going to get Kaidan across the gap but Liara was one step ahead of him and reached out with her biotics and lifted Kaidan and began pulling him toward the ramp but it was hard to maintain thankfully Wrex saw what she was doing and helped her get Kaidan all the way to the ramp where Ashley grabbed him and helped him inside to the backed up a few steps and took a running jump toward the ramp and cleared it with minimum difficulties and yelled into the comm

"Joker get us out of here now!"

Joker didn't need to be told twice or even once for that matter he closed the ramp and sped probably past what was safe and soared toward the stars.

"Wait why isn't the bomb going off?" Liara said slightly panicked.

"I never turned it on I didn't know how to arm it!" Ashley said

"What?! But you said that you were turning it on!" Garrus shouted at her pissed

"That was just to get Shepherd to pull his head out of his ass and get out!"

"Then how were you going to detonate it?" Wrex asked sharply

"I was going to shoot it."

"Shoot a nuke?! You were going to shoot a nuke?!" Liara asked incredulously

"Guys would you shut up it's taken care of." Tali said calmly

"How?" Ashley asked

Tali took a small detonator out of one of her pockets and pushed it.

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The Geth were dismantling the nuke when a tiny microscopic drone received a message from it's creator it was time to blow this place to hell and the drone was going to be the one to do it floated toward the disfigured bomb. Just as it's creator thought the core was the last thing the geth would dismantle because logically it wasn't a threat showed how much the geth knew the drone floated to the core and set down in the middle of it and then set off a spark a tiny spark not enough to show but just enough to set off the nuke.

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The blast was seen from space and the crew of the Normandy who upon seeing it all began to cheer and whoop over their hard earned the medbay looked at Kaidan leg while a concerned Shepherd loomed over them.

"It looks through and through didn't hit anything vital, significant blood loss, possible infection."

"Will he be alright?" Shepherd asked sharply

"A blood transfusion, some med gel,and a few days rest and he should be good as new it was a close one Commander but he will make it."

Shepherd nodded and left to do a de-brief with the squad

Everyone was already gathered and waiting for news on Kaidan's condition.

"How is he?" Ashley asked after Shepherd sat down.

"Battered but Doc says he will make a full recovery."

Ashley nodded

Shepherd looked at the rest of the squad and asked the one question he needed answered

"How did the nuke get set off?"

Tali spoke nervously "It was me Commander I put a drone on one of the dead geth units as we were running in case anything went wrong."

Shepherd nodded indicating she continue

"So anyway I made it to set off the nuke when it get the signal-"

"The device from before." Liara said realization on her face.

"Yes and then it went to the nuke and set off a charge big enough to detonate the nuke but small enough not to be noticed by the geth so they could deactivate and send a report to Saren then he would have known it was us and he probably would have...I'm babbling aren't I?"

"It's fine Tali good work thinking of that, good work everyone it's been a long day why don't we all go get some shut eye. Dismissed."

Joker's voice came over the intercomm "Council calling should I patch it through?"

"Let Kirrahe take care of that it was his mission let him brief the Council."

"Understood Commander."

Shepherd went to his office and sat, put his head in his hands and sighed.

"Hey Shepherd Tali and Wrex are getting into an arguement about who won Tali seems to think that the kills from the nuke get added to her total."

Shepherd laughed "Tell the team to pick _any_ weapon or armor and to forward it to the Spectre's requsition office."

"Hey what about me you know the pilot that got all of you out in the first place?"

"Why would you need a weapon Joker?"

"Well not a weapon per say just maybe a keychain or maybe a #1 pilot mug."

"Fine Joker order whatever you want just keep in it reason."

"Understood Commander."

Shepherd looked over at the one thing he had from his home on Midior the thing he would never get rid of...

A photo of him and his sister hugging and laughing at a long forgotten joke.

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please review and I may write more stories in this universe if any one wants to read.


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